"Last year, the Ballon d'Or winner [Rodri] got injured and missed nearly a season. "This season, the Ballon d'Or winner [Ousmane Dembele] is out again with a muscle injury. "How long will this keep happening until even the club owners realise it's bad for business? "We're looking at the player health issue but even the people owning clubs and leagues are starting to take note and realise the system isn't working for anyone."
"Among its findings were that Modric, who turned 40 this summer, played more games than any other player in 2024-25, including friendlies - 76 for Real Madrid and Croatia. Europe-based Ryan had to travel 169,000km (105,000 miles) in the season for Australia duty. And Lamine Yamal has played 130 games by the age of 18, which is far more than most of his peers ever managed."
Players experienced extreme workloads in 2024-25, with heavy match totals, long international travel, and inadequate off-season recovery. A 40-year-old midfielder played 76 matches for club and country. A Europe-based goalkeeper travelled 169,000 km for national duty. A teenager reached 130 career games by age 18. The Club World Cup added substantial workload and reduced safe off-season and pre-season days. Calendar congestion, long-haul travel, heat, and intensified youth deployment combined to elevate injury risk and strain player health, prompting concern from the international players' union and high-performance experts.
Read at www.bbc.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]